Letters
by zoey04
Summary: Heero is forced to leave Duo behind because of his wanted status in the United States along with many other countries. But he hasn't forgotten about Duo. He tries his hardest to stay in touch with him without dragging him into his mess. yaoi. Duo POV. r
1. Chapter 1

**Yaaay! New fic! I got the idea for this one from 'The Tourist' and it has a few similarities *like the place for one scene* but the main idea is different. It took me all of two days to write this one, so if something doesnt make sense or there are some typos, I apologize in advance. I did go over it though so hopefully I caught everything... Well enjoy!**

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Chapter 1

"_I can't stay here, Duo. As much as I'd like to," he tells me, his voice full of sorrow._

"_What do you mean?" I ask, looking up from my computer._

"_I'm wanted in fourteen countries, Duo. I can't stay in one place for too long. And… if someone sees me with you… they might try to use you to get to me. I can't let that happen."_

"_What…? What the hell did you do to get you on the wanted list in fourteen countries?" I frown, standing up._

"_I can't get you any more involved. I care too much about you."_

"_I don't understand…" I say slowly, trying to get the meaning of those words._

"_I'm in love with you, Duo," he whispers, stepping forward and pressing a soft kiss to my lips._

_I stand there in shock for a moment, then pull him into me, kissing him deeper. I had known I was in love with Heero since I met him, but to know that he feels the same way towards me… I can hardly believe it. And once his words start sinking in, I pull away from him quickly._

"_You can't go. I don't want you to go. I love you too… please don't leave," I beg of him, clutching desperately to his wrists._

"_I have to go. But I promise you, I'll find a way to be with you again," he reassures._

_He leans in for one more kiss, then pulls his wrists from my grip and strides away. He hesitates at the front door, but then opens it and leaves without another glance back, shutting the door behind him._

"Heero!" I cry, jolting up in bed.

The dream had been so vivid, so real, just like it was every night. And just like I remembered it from five months ago. I glance over at the clock and sigh. 5:30. Too late to go back to sleep, but too early to get up. I groan and flop back down onto my bed.

Heero had promised me he'd find a way to be with me again. But that was five months ago. I believed him for the first month of his absence, then started to doubt him by the third month, then completely gave up on him after the fourth month. It broke my heart to know he had abandoned me, that I had to give up on him… but I couldn't keep waiting like this. I needed to move on. But I couldn't. I still loved him.

After about a half hour of lying there, wallowing in my sorrows, I toss back the sheets and get out of bed. I needed to go to work. Even though I hated it. I had been a Preventer, and I had loved it. But Heero showed up on America's top ten most wanted not three days after he left, so I quit. Back then I still had hope that he'd come back to me eventually, so I knew that if he contacted me, I'd have to turn him in, and I couldn't do that. I now worked as an accountant. Which was the most boring job I could've ever picked. I really did need to start looking around for an alternative.

I dragged myself out of bed and over to the closet. I quickly pull on a white button down and black slacks. Donning my black suit jacket, I head out of the apartment and towards eight consecutive hours of torture.

…

After what seems like an eternity, I finally unlock the front door to my apartment and step inside. I drop my jacket and briefcase by the door while kicking off my shoes. I then snatch the mail out of the box next to my front door and skim through it as I head into the family room. I toss aside the bills, then am about to toss aside the whole pile when the next letter catches my eye. 'Duo' is written on the front in almost perfect script. That's all that's on the front. I frown and turn it over. There is nothing on the back of the envelope either. Curiosity burns within me and I open the envelope and pull out the letter.

'Duo,

I apologize deeply for not having contacted you sooner. I haven't forgotten about you. I could never forget you. But with your job at Preventers, I didn't want to put you in a compromising position by contacting you. However I have just heard of your leave from Preventers and wrote you immediately. I want to see you. I've missed you so very much. Here in Italy, they haven't yet put me on the wanted list, so I've been here for the past few months. I'd love for you to join me here. I've already booked you a plane ticket out here to Venice and have arranged a hotel room for you in Hotel Rialto. I hope to see you there.

Love you always,

Heero'

My heart stops. I can hardly believe it. Heero didn't abandon me. And he still loved me. But Italy? He's assuming that I could just drop everything… that I _would_ just drop everything and fly all the way out to Italy to be with him.

He's right.

I immediately call up my boss and quit. I then call down to my landlord and inform him that I'll be gone for a few weeks. He was right to assume I would put my life on hold and fly out to Italy to see him. I'd go anywhere to see him again. I never realized how much I had still held on to the hope that I'd be with Heero again. I had thought I had let him go, but I don't think I could ever let him go.

I hurry into the back room and pack a suitcase, then tear my room apart looking for my passport. Once that is in my pocket along with an extra wad of cash, I shoulder my duffle and hurry out of the apartment.

At the airport, I tell the women at the front desk that I have a ticket booked for me and tell her my name. She nods and prints out the ticket, handing it to me with a smile. I don't have any bags to check, so I head straight for my gate. I had gotten there just in time, because the flight straight to Venice was starting to board once I got to the gate.

The plane ride was a long one. The entire flight was spent staring out the window, thinking about Heero. My entire body shook with anticipation, knowing I was so close to seeing him again. There was that one part of me though, the one part of me that had given up hope, that told me this all was just a trick. That Heero wasn't really there in Italy, waiting for me. I ignored it though. Why would he send me to Italy, book me a plane ticket and hotel room himself, if he wasn't going to be there? He had to be there.

The plane lands and I step out of the airport to one of the most beautiful cities I had ever seen. The entire city was built on the water. All the buildings seemed so old, yet so beautiful and grand. There wasn't a car in sight, just boats. A small boat marked 'taxi' pulled up to the side of the dock and I hurried over.

"Uhm, the Hotel Rialto, per favore," I call upon the small amount of Italian I know.

He nods and the boat pulls away from the dock. I gaze around at the beautiful city surrounding me. The city held so much grace, so much beauty… It was a lovely place to see Heero again.

It doesn't take long for the boat to pull up in front of the grand hotel. The boat driver helps me off and I hand him a few euros that I had gotten at the airport. Inside the hotel, it nearly blew me over how nice it was. Either all hotels in Venice were this nice, or Heero had gone to the trouble to book me a room in one of the best hotels. I smile, thinking of how much he thought of me, then head to the front desk to get my room key.

"Nome, signore?" the man at the front desks asks.

"Duo Maxwell," I supply.

"Ah. Here's your room key, signore, and this is also for you. The young man who booked this room for you asked me to give you this when you arrived," he told me in a thick Italian accent, handing me a key and an envelope.

"Is that man here?" I ask hopefully.

"No, signore. He was here last night and left immediately after giving me this."

"Oh… thank you," I say, forcing a smile.

"Let me show you to your room."

I follow the man up to the top floor where the suites are and down the hall to the last room. The man unlocks my door and opens it for me. I hold back my surprise and thank the man. He hands me the key and heads back to the elevator.

The room is huge and fully furnished. A fireplace stands against one wall, a full, red velvet couch set across from it. The far wall is mostly windows that all lead out to the balcony overlooking the river I came in on. On the opposite wall of the fireplace is a delicate looking wooden table, and on it, a bouquet of flowers. I doubt that the hotel supplied those, so I walk over to the table and look at the card. All it says is 'Duo' written in the same script as the letter I received back home. Then I remember about the letter in my hands.

I hurry to where the bedroom door is and open it. I place my duffel bag on the bed, then sit down and open the letter.

'Duo,

If you are reading this, that means you arrived here safely. There have been some complications with the Italian government, so my plans to spend the next few weeks with you have had to be revised. I apologize deeply, but I won't be able to see you very long. I'll be able to see you on the night of the 25th, around nine o'clock. My deepest apologies.

Love you always,

Heero'

I reread the letter three times, willing the words to sink in. I can't believe it. I flew all the way out here just to see Heero one night? I'm tempted to leave right now, head back down to the airport and get on the first flight back to America. But I couldn't get myself to leave. Heero would be here tomorrow night, so I would stay at least that long. I had to see him again. I had gone too long without hearing a word from him.

I don't bother unpacking my things. I was planning on leaving after he left, so I'd only be here for the rest of today and tomorrow. I look at the clock to see that the rest of today is not very long. I take a walk outside and over to the Ponte di Rialto bridge that I had an excellent view of from my hotel window. I stop on the middle of it and watch the sun set against the water before turning back to the hotel. This city really was a beautiful place, and I was grateful Heero had dragged me out here to see it, even if I wouldn't be seeing much of him.

Back at the hotel, I pull off my shirt and kick out of my pants, going straight to bed. New dreams decided to plague my mind tonight, though they were still of Heero.

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**So? Is it good? Too much like 'The Tourist'? Not at all like 'The Tourist'? Have never seen 'The Tourist' so you have no idea? Well review and tell me if any or all of those are true please! XD And btw... for those of you who haven't seen 'The Tourist', its a good movie... Not the best I've seen recently *considering Harry Potter and Tron just came out* but it was good. Anyway! Please review! Until tomorrow night... hopefully...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry I didn't post last night... I forgot that I had a fic to put up... I'm not used to having something to post XD So anyway here's the next chapter. And thanks to those of you who reviewed :)**

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Chapter 2

In the morning, I end up sleeping in until noon, the whole time change thing not going over so well with me. I get up quickly and take a shower, then head out to go explore Venice. I doubt if I'd ever have the time to come back out here later on in life, so I needed to make the most of this one day I'd be here.

I walk all around town, stopping at a cute little café for some lunch, then heading through town to were the Palazzo Ducale and the Basilica di San Marco were. I explored around there all afternoon, mentally beating myself for not bringing my camera with me. At about seven, I have dinner at a fine looking restaurant, then head back to the hotel.

My mind is swimming and my heart pounding, knowing that I was so close to seeing Heero. I just had to wait a few more minutes. I reach the hotel at about five 'til nine and hurry up to my room. Heero isn't here yet, so I leave the door unlocked for him. I head over to the balcony and peer down, waiting and watching for Heero to appear on the streets below.

I glance at my watch every about thirty seconds. But, I never see Heero down on the streets. I start to give up. He's not really coming… The clock strikes nine and I look down at the hotel entrance one more time. I don't see him there, or on the streets leading to the entrance. I sigh and run my fingers through my bangs. Tears sting at my eyes. I really shouldn't have come.

Suddenly, a hand lightly touches my waist. I spin around and am immediately pulled into a fierce kiss. My heart explodes against my chest and my breath gets caught in my throat. When I finally recover, I wrap my arms around his neck and pull myself into him. Strong arms wrap around my waist and hold me tight. When we finally pull back to catch our breaths, Heero feathers kisses along my neck and jaw line.

"I've missed you so much," he breathes into my ear.

"I-I have too," I stutter.

When he finally releases me, he leads me over to the couch. Is he walking with a limp? If he is hurt, he's doing a damn good job of hiding it. I can hardly tell. He sits down and I sit down next to him. He pulls me into his side and I give in willingly. He kisses the top of my head and weaves our fingers together.

"Why didn't you contact me sooner?" I murmur, my voice thick with emotion. I had forgotten just how much I loved him, how much I loved being with him, and I wanted to know why we had gone five months without seeing each other.

"Oh, believe me when I tell you I thought about you every day. I wanted to contact you, but I knew you worked for Preventers and after I was put on the American wanted list, I knew contacting you would make you choose between me and the job you love so much. I couldn't do that to you. I couldn't make you choose," he murmurs. "Why did you leave Preventers?"

"Because I loved you more than I loved my job. I still had the hope then that I would see you again, so when you were put on the wanted list, I quit, knowing I'd have to turn you in if I was still with the Preventers. I quit three days after you left, Heero. What took you so long?"

He hugs me close to him, wrapping his arms around me. "I didn't know. I'm so sorry, Duo. I had been keeping tabs on you as best I could, but it took far too long for information of your removal of Preventers to get to me. But when it did, I wrote you as soon as I could. I just wish it had been sooner."

"Yeah, me too…" I sigh.

His finger lightly lifts my chin and he presses his lips to mine. I greedily kiss him back, my hands moving to his thick mop of chocolate brown hair. We spend the rest of the night talking, catching up, but mostly kissing, savoring this moment we have together.

It gets close to midnight and realizing that our time together was running short, my eyes started to water.

"What's wrong, my love?" Heero whispers, wiping the tears from my cheeks.

"Do you really have to leave? You can't stay a few more days?" I beg.

He sighs, and pain is clear in his eyes. "I'm so sorry. I wish I could've spent the next few weeks with you as I had planed, but the Italian government is onto me, so I can't stay here. I'll go to bed with you, I'll wake up with you tomorrow morning, but then I'll have to leave."

"I want to go with you," I plead.

"I would want nothing more than to take you with me. But I can't put you in that sort of danger. There are many people after me, and they will not hesitate to use you to get to me. I love you too much to risk your life like that."

"I can take care of myself, Heero. I was the leader of a special ops team that headed all sorts of missions, all across the world. I've dealt with some of the most deadly and dangerous people. I know how to protect myself."

He gives me a long look and shakes his head. "I can't… But I will promise you this. I will try to stay in contact with you, and I will try to be with you as often as possible. And when everything calms down, and people start to give up looking for me, I'll take you up on that offer."

"But how long will that be? When will they start to give up? I can't wait for you forever," I tell him, tears stinging in my eyes again. That wasn't totally the truth… I was willing to wait for him forever, I just hope I don't have to.

"I can't ask you to wait for me, Duo. But I will ask you to give me some time. I will find a way. I promise you that."

He gives me a quick kiss, then suddenly picks me up in his arms and carries me into the bedroom. He sets me on the bed, then turns towards the door.

"I'll leave you alone to change, then I'll join you in a minute," he tells me. "If that's okay with you. I don't mind sleeping on the couch."

"No, it's fine. I'd like for you to join me."

He smiles and closes the door behind him. I quickly strip out of my clothes until I'm just in my boxers. A light tap sounds at the door and I call for Heero to come in. He shuts off the lights and crawls in next to me under the covers. I wrap my arms around him, pulling him close. His arms wrap loosely around my waist and I rest my head against his chest. His hands gently stroke down my braid, then he brings the end to his lips to kiss it. I really don't want to fall asleep. I want to spend all the time I can awake with Heero. But my eyelids are heavy and sleep starts to pull me under.

He presses kisses to the top of my head and lightly traces patterns on the bare skin of my back. "I love you, with all my heart, Duo," Heero whispers in my ear, just before I fall asleep.

…

I wake to the feeling of a warm body pressed up against mine and strong arms wrapped around me. A wide smile spreads across my face and I hug that body tighter to me.

"Morning, my love," Heero's voice says from right in front of me.

I open my eyes to see beautiful cobalt eyes staring back at me. Heero is smiling and I kiss those smiling lips.

"Did you sleep well?" he asks me.

"Mmm," is my reply as I kiss him again.

He leans into the touch, kissing me deeper. After a few moments, he pulls away and sits up, climbing out of bed. I follow and wrap my arms around his waist, kissing the back of his neck.

"When will I see you again?" I ask, my voice soft.

"I'm heading down to Australia from here. I'll write you once I get there and arrange for you come visit," he promises.

"How long will that be?"

"About a month," he answers, turning around in my arms.

I sigh and rest my forehead against his shoulder so he won't see my eyes water. He runs a hand over my cheek and frowns in thought. "My plane doesn't leave until ten thirty tonight. How about you meet me at the Osteria Bancogiro tonight for dinner at six o'clock?"

I nod, eager to see him before he leaves.

"I can't stay with you all day though. I'm taking enough of a risk by going somewhere public with you. Cross the Ponte di Rialto and keep walking straight. You'll see it. Oh, and dress nicely. I'll make reservations under your name."

"I don't have anything nice…"

"Don't worry about it," he smiles.

I nod again and he gives me a quick kiss before turning and leaving. I just stand there for a few moments, listening to him leave. The front door opens, but its a few moments before it closes again. I smile and quickly move to get in the shower. It seems like I have another day to enjoy the city.

Once I'm showered, dressed, and my hair is braided, I head out of the hotel and cross the Ponte di Rialto bridge. I want to know where that restaurant is before I have to be there so I don't get lost, or waist time trying to find it. It doesn't take me long to find the nice restaurant and I make note of it, then keep walking. I loop around and cross a few more bridges, then end up down near Basilica di San Marco again. I check out some of the museums and some of the other famous buildings before stopping for lunch at a café. I spend the rest of the day wandering around town, then head back to my hotel at about five so I could try and find something at least half decent to wear for dinner tonight.

I head through to the bedroom, noticing that another bouquet had been placed on the hearth. Another surprise awaits me in the bedroom. A full tux is laid out on the bed. I smile and pick up the note left in the breast pocket. 'Duo' is written on the front in Heero's hand writing. I quickly change into the tux, then rebraid my hair. I frown at my bangs. I'm not even going to attempt to do anything with them. I tie a black ribbon around the end of my braid and step back in front of the mirror. I frown. I look ridiculous in the tux, but it'll have to do.

I look at the clock and see that I still have another half hour until I have to leave. I pull out my computer and decide to do some research. I don't know where to start, so I simply Google search 'Heero Yuy'. A number of articles pop up, most of which being numerous countries' most wanted lists. I scroll through them, then find an American news paper article. I read through it. It says that Heero had been an accountant for a well known Yakuza gangster back in his home country of Japan. He had stolen billions of dollars from him, then disappeared. But why did that put him on many most wanted lists? I scroll through, trying to find an answer. Ah, here it is. This gangster had gotten most of his money through fraud, stealing it directly from many countries governments. Now that Heero had most of this gangster's fortune, these countries were no longer chasing the gangster for their money, but were chasing Heero.

I can't help but feel relieved. He had told me he was on the most wanted lists in fourteen countries, and I had assumed he had done something like assassinate someone important or something… I'm glad it's just a money thing. And I honestly don't care that he stole that money. It wasn't like it was that gangster's money in the first place. But what has me confused is to why Heero hasn't given the money back to these countries? He would return it, wouldn't he?

I shrug. I'll ask him about it over dinner. The sooner we can get this whole thing straightened out, the sooner Heero can stop running.

I'm about to close my computer when another article catches my eye.

'Wanted Man Heero Yuy Escapes From Hospital in Paris, France.'

I quickly open it up and read. Heero came into Hopital Laennec four months ago with a gunshot wound to his left knee and underwent surgery to repair it. Not too long after waking from the anesthetic, the French police arrived to question him about his ties to this Yakuza member. He lied his way through the questions, then escaped quickly after that. They say here in the article that the authorities assume it was one of the gangster's men that had shot him.

So that would explain Heero's limp. His leg never finished healing right after the surgery because he hadn't rested it.

That's probably why he's always on the run. He's not running from these countries' governments… he's running from this gangster's men.

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**So the wording and stuff of that last little bit is a little weird I know... I wrote the entire thing then went back and added the chapter breaks so its a little funny sounding... Oh well, I didn't know how to make it better... Please review! And I wont be able to post tomorrow night but I'll try to remember to post sunday night. Until then...**


	3. Chapter 3

**So here's the next chapter... And that's all I really have to say... Oh, thanks to everyone that reviewed... Enjoy :)  
**

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Chapter 3

I close my computer and look up at the clock. It is about quarter to six. Time to go. I leave the hotel, my mind swimming, going over everything I had learned about the man I loved. I find that, surprisingly enough, I'm not upset about the crime he committed. At least with Heero, that money will get back to where it belongs. At least… that's what I'm trying to convince myself of… I cross the Ponte di Rialto and arrive at the restaurant with five minutes to spare.

"Posso aiutarla, signore?" the man at the front desk asks.

I have no idea what he said, so I just respond, "I have a reservation for two?"

"Nome?" he asks.

"Duo Maxwell," I supply.

"Ah, Signore Maxwell. Right this way," he smiles, leading me through the restaurant.

He takes me all the way to the back, to a more secluded section.

"Last table on the left, signore," he tells me, then turns to leave.

I head to the back and stop dead in my tracks when I reach the back table. Heero is already here, dressed in a lovely white tux, and sipping from a wine glass. He looks absolutely gorgeous and it's the most I can do to keep my mouth closed and not completely ogle.

He doesn't fair much better than I do. When he looks up at my approach, his eyes widen slightly and he nearly chokes on his wine. He sets down the glass and stands, then sits back down as I sit.

"You look… very handsome," he struggles for words. I've never seen him so lost for words before. He always seems to know what to say.

"You do too," I manage, then mentally hit myself. I could've come up with something better than that…

Heero smiles and pours me a glass of wine. He raises his glass and I raise mine.

"To seeing you again," he says with a smile.

I nod and take a sip of the wine.

"Heero…" I sigh, needing to get answers. I want to get it out of the way so I can spend the rest of the night with him in peace and not have it on my shoulders.

"Yes?"

"I know why you are wanted," I whisper, not wanting anyone to over hear us.

His smile fades and he sets down the wineglass with a sigh.

"How," he asks.

"I looked it up. I have a right to know," I defend quickly.

He lets out another sigh. Pain is clear in his eyes. He seems almost worried. Worried about what?

"You're going to give that money back to who it belongs to, right?" I state, hoping that my previous assumptions of him were correct.

"It's not that easy, love," he replies. "I didn't take that money for myself. And I tried to return it to who it belongs, but the Yakuza have men everywhere, and are trying their hardest to see that I'm unable to give it back. I almost succeeded four months ago in Paris. I went to France intending to give them their share of that money, but someone was there, waiting for me."

"That's how you got shot…"

"You know about that too?" he questions.

I nod and he sighs.

"Why didn't you tell me about all of this?" I ask.

"I already told you why. I don't want you involved in any of this. You already know too much."

The waiter comes by to take our order and the conversation on that topic stops. Through the rest of dinner, we talk about more normal things. Once we are through eating, I decide to bring it up one more time.

"Heero… I can help you. They don't know who I am. I can take the money and return it for you."

"No," he replies immediately, his tone darkening.

"But—"

"No. Listen to me, Duo," he nearly hisses. "They don't care about you, or even me, for that matter. As soon as they get their money back, I'm dead. I'm not pulling you into that too. And if they even get the slightest thought that you might be acquainted with me, they will do anything they can to you to get information, then use you to get me to come to them. If I don't come, they'll kill you. If I do come, they'll kill you as soon as they've captured me. Either way, you getting involved will only result in your death and I will _not_ let that happen."

"Not if we win."

"If we do by some miracle get all that money returned, they will kill the both of us just because they can, because we gave away their money. It doesn't matter who 'wins', both of us are dead. I already signed my death sentence the moment I wired that three hundred and forty-eight billion from their account to mine."

"You said that you'd do anything to make sure I'm not killed, right?"

"Absolutely."

"Well I'm going to do everything in my power not to let you die either."

Heero is about to say something, then looks around. He suddenly stands up and shoves a few hundred euros under his plate.

"Come with me," he snaps.

I stand and follow him. I had never seen this side of Heero before and I really didn't like it. I did as told and followed him out of the restaurant and over the bridge. He heads straight for the hotel and we're silent as we take the elevator up to the top floor and into my room. The moment the door is closed, I turn on him.

"I want to help you, Heero," I say firmly, trying to control the shake in my voice.

He spins on me and grabs my shoulders. "No!" His hands move to my cheeks and his eyes start to water. "Don't make me regret coming here, Duo. I'm not dragging you into this. I-I can't lose you."

My expression softens and I hug him to me.

"And I can't lose you either, Heero," I breathe into his ear. "If there is a way to help you and I don't do anything, I'll never forgive myself. Please… just let me help you."

"I can't…" he mumbles into my shoulder, his resolve fading. His tears are soaking through the fabric of the tux and I rub soothing circles on his back, trying to calm him.

"Please…"

He pulls back from me and quickly rubs at his eyes, then he looks up at me. "We're sticking with our original plan. I'm flying down to Australia tonight and I'll contact you as soon as possible so you can come down to see me."

"Heero—" He cuts me off by placing a finger over my lips.

"Let me try and work things out. Give me a month, and if I don't get any closer than I am now, I'll let you help me."

I can tell he's bluffing. He has no intention of letting me help him. But I call his bluff.

"Okay," I smile. But then I realize that he might just leave me for good to keep me safe. I can't let that happen, but what do I say to make him come back? Guilt trip. "I don't think I can last another five months without hearing from you again. Promise me you'll talk to me soon? I can't go through that heartbreak again…"

Pain fills his eyes and a small smile tugs at the corner of his lips. "I promise," he whispers. "I don't think I can go that long again either. Aishiteru, Duo. Aishiteru."

He presses a light kiss to my lips, then walks around me to the door.

"I have this room booked for another eleven days. Feel free to stay if you want to. And I already booked you a ticket to fly home whenever you choose," he tells me, opening the door.

"Wait! Heero, I still have your tux," I call to him, remembering that I still have it on.

"Keep it. It was a gift. Besides, it looks much lovelier on you than it does on me," he smiles. "You look beautiful tonight, Duo. I love you, and I'll miss you."

"Bye…" I murmur.

He walks out the door and the click it makes when it closes echoes through my heart. I slump down onto the couch and burry my face in my hands. He's not going to write me again, he's not going to arrange for me to come see him again… I completely screwed up our night by pressing him about his past, and by begging him to let me help him. Sobs shake my body as I cry into my hands. Tears still streamed down my face as I headed into the bedroom to pack up my stuff.

On my way out the door, I stop and run my fingers over the smooth pedals of the flowers Heero had left me. I sigh and hurry out of the room and downstairs.

I check out of the room, then grab a water taxi to take me back to the airport… to take me back home.

…

Once I get home, I go straight to bed, only pausing to lock the door and kick off my shoes. I close my eyes and instantly, images of Heero lying with me, kissing the top of my head, and holding me close invade my mind. It takes me forever to fall asleep because of the images that keep swarming my vision every time I try to sleep. Tears sting in my eyes, but eventually, I manage to fall asleep.

Vivid dreams plague me that night. Many different dreams. All of them about Heero. And all of them end with the 'click' of the door as he leaves me forever.

It's two o'clock in the morning and I'm pacing my bedroom, my hands clawing at my head, willing the dreams and images to just leave me alone. I continue my mindless pacing for an hour before collapsing back onto the bed and crying myself back to sleep.

The next week is spent in the same manner. I don't leave the bed except to eat, pee, and check the mail. The latter was because of that last string of hope within me that told me Heero couldn't leave me, that he'd keep his promise. But the rest of me gave up the second he walked out of the door in Venice.

It's been exactly seventeen days since Heero left me in Venice and currently I'm sitting at the kitchen table, my dinner in front of me. I'm not really eating. Just like every other meal I've had since I got back, I'm just pushing my food around my plate. Which probably explains the weight I've lost. And I have absolutely no energy. Which can probably be explained by my lack of sleep. When I am able to fall asleep, I'm constantly awoken by nightmares.

I frown at myself, then push the plate away from me and slam my head into the table.

"Dammit Maxwell! Get a hold of yourself! You can't let one man mess you up this bad! There are better men out there than him!" I yell at myself. "But… I love him…"

There is a knock on the front door and I raise my head, staring at the front door for a moment. Then, I reluctantly get up and cross over to the door while automatically wiping the tears from my eyes.

I open the door and a man is standing there. I recognize his face. He's been hanging around here a lot recently. He might've moved in or something, I can't remember.

"Can I help you?"

I see his eyes rake over me, taking note of my current condition, then he takes a step back.

"Sorry, wrong apartment," he says, but I can tell he's lying.

He pulls out his cell as he walks away and I close the door on him. I head straight back to the bedroom and collapse on the bed.

The phone starts ringing a moment later, but I don't feel like talking to anyone else today, so I let the answering machine get it. If it's important, they'll leave a message. But they don't. They hang up half way through my voice telling them to leave a message. I close my eyes and try to fall asleep, hoping the nightmares will leave me alone and let me get at least one good nights sleep.

The shrill of the phone sounds again and again I ignore it. If it was really that important, they can leave a message. But again they don't.

About half hour later, I'm almost asleep when the damn phone rings again.

"Leave me alone!" I yell, jumping out of bed and picking up the receiver just to slam it back down into the cradle. I bend over and rip the phone cord from the wall, then crawl back into bed where the nightmares decide to torture me some more.

* * *

**So I didn't really like this chapter... I think Duo kinda freaked out a little too much... but I don't know... Please tell me what you think... Until tomorrow! Hopefully XD**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It's about one in the morning the following day and I'm just standing at the window, staring down at the streets. I'm not really looking at anything, just standing there. My stomach growls at me, but I don't want to eat. My eyelids try to drift closed, but I don't want to sleep. I don't want to do anything. So I just stand there, staring, but not seeing. There's not much to see anyway. It's one in the morning.

But then I do see something. A flash of black on the sidewalk right below me. I lean forward and peer down to see a black trench coat moving down the sidewalk. The figure is dressed in all black, complete with a black beanie. I frown and continue to watch him. He turns his head to look around and that's when I see his face. My heart, which had been beating rather slowly and softly due to my current state, exploded against my chest and a gasp escapes my lips. Adrenaline courses through my veins and I turn and sprint out of the room, not even caring that I'm wearing nothing but a pair of baggy sweats. I take the stairs down to the ground floor as opposed to the elevator because it'll be quicker.

I make it down to the ground floor and sprint down the hall and into the empty lobby just as the figure walks through the front door.

"Oh my god…" Heero breathes when he sees me, his eyes taking in my condition.

I don't stop, continuing to sprint across the lobby, then launch myself into his arms. He takes a few steps backwards to keep from falling over, then hugs me to him tightly.

"I'm so sorry!" I cry into his neck. "I didn't mean it. I just didn't want you to leave me. I'm sorry."

"Duo, you look like shit. What's wrong? Are you okay?" he whispers in my ear, setting me back on my feet.

The adrenaline leaves me suddenly and sprinting all the way down here took a lot out of me. My knees buckle and I would've fallen, if not for Heero. Heero lifts me into his arms and carries me to the elevator. He presses the button to my floor with his foot, then looks down at me.

"What the hell happened to you, Duo?" he breathes, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

I'm so out of it, I can't even answer. I just stare up at him. Heero sighs and takes me back to my room. The front door is still open from when I had run out of it and Heero carries me inside, closing the door behind him. He sets me down on the couch and kneels in front of me.

"Duo, what's wrong? And what do you mean you're sorry? Sorry for what?" he asks me, taking my hands.

"Sorry I kept pressing you about your past, tried to pressure you into letting me help you," I clarify, finally finding my voice. Tears are streaming down my face and my whole body is shaking. "I just didn't want you to leave me again. I wanted to go with you. I'm sorry I said those things. Can we just pretend that never happened? I didn't mean it… Pretend I don't know about your past," I continue to ramble.

"Duo…" he breathes, pulling off his beanie and letting his beautiful chocolate colored hair fall in front of his eyes. "You had a right to know. Now, tell me why you're like this. It looks like you haven't eaten or slept in weeks."

"I thought you left me for good. I thought you were never going to talk to me again. To keep me safe or something."

"Why in the hell would you think that, Duo?"

"Because you said 'don't make me regret coming here, Duo' and you said 'I'd do anything to keep you safe' and you said 'I can't get you involved, Duo'. That means you were going to leave me forever to keep me out of your past."

"No, Duo. That just means I love you and I want to keep you safe," he corrects me. "Oh Duo," he sighs, pulling me into him.

I cry into his chest, clinging to his shirt.

"I'm so sorry, Duo. I didn't realize how you would've taken my words…" he whispers to me.

I sniffle, managing to stop the tears. I pull away from him to look at him.

"What are you doing in the states?" I ask, rubbing my eyes.

"I have a friend here that I asked to keep an eye on you. He's my source, how I was able to keep tabs on you. Anyway, he said that you were falling apart and I got straight on a plane to come here."

"But, how would he know? I haven't talked to anyone since… Wait… he was the guy who knocked on my door the other day?" I question.

"Probably. You had me so worried. He told me you looked like a wreck and I didn't know what to think. I tried calling you, but you didn't answer the first two times and the third time you hung up on me."

"I didn't know it was you. If I had known it was you I would've answered. Why didn't you leave a message?"

"I wasn't supposed to call you at all. I can't leave any trace of my connections to you, remember?"

I nod.

"Now, let's get you something to eat, then get you into bed."

He stands, and I find the strength to also. I don't want to leave him. I stick to his side the entire time, either holding onto his trench coat or his hand when he wasn't using it. He pulls a chair up next to the other at the table and sits next to me while I eat.

Once I'm done, he clears my place and takes me into the back room.

"I don't wanna go to sleep, Heero," I complain. "The nightmares will come back."

"I'll stay with you, Duo. I won't let the nightmares bother you tonight," he whispers to me.

I nod and crawl into the bed. He pulls up the covers, then crawls in next to me after shrugging out of his trench coat and pulling off his boots. I cuddle up close to him and he wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me into him. I sigh and rest my hands on his chest, savoring the feeling of him against me, holding me tight, his lips on my forehead.

"I can't stay for long," he whispers to me. "The states seem to be more eager for my head than anyone else, and I think the Feds know I'm here. But I'll stay with you tonight though and keep the nightmares away for you."

I nod. I keep my eyes open. I don't want to fall asleep. And not just because of the nightmares. I know that since Heero is here, they won't come back. No, I don't want to fall asleep because I only have this time with Heero right now. Who knows when the next time I'll see him again will be? I know he says it'll be only a month, but he can't control how long it takes for either the government or the Yakuza to find him. He has no idea when it is he has to get up and run.

Suddenly, Heero bolts upright. I open my eyes to see that I had fallen asleep and it was now four in the morning. Heero is out of bed in a heartbeat and is over at the window peering down onto the street. I prop myself up onto my elbows and look up at him.

"What's wrong?" I mumble.

He crosses over to me and presses a fierce kiss to my lips.

"It's the cops, love," he smiles a sad smile at me. "I have to run. I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer."

I rub my eyes and climb out of bed, helping him into his trench coat and handing him his beanie. I follow him out to the front room.

"Listen to me, Duo. You need to take better care of yourself. I _will_ write you. I _will_ see you again. I promise. Here," he pulls a chain from around his neck and slips it over my head. "It's the only thing I have left of my home and I'm not quite ready to part with it yet. I'll be back to get that soon, okay?"

I nod and he raises a hand to the back of my neck, pulling me in for a deep, passionate kiss.

"Please take care of yourself. I love you," he tells me.

"Same for you too," I murmur.

He smiles and opens the front door. He looks both ways before popping out his collar and hurrying to the stairwell door. I watch him go, then close the door and head back to the bedroom. I sit on the bed and look down at Heero's necklace. It's a simple gold chain with a small pendent on it. It's an angel wing and on the back, something is carved in Japanese. I smile and press it to my lips.

"I'll bring it back to you, Heero. Promise."

There is a knock on the front door and I know it's the police. They're probably knocking on everyone's doors just about know. I get up and walk slowly over to the front door, pretending like they had just woken me up. I definitely looked tired enough for it to be believable.

I open the front door as I rub my eye, then pretend to wince at the light flooding through my door. A tall man dressed in a suit is holding up a badge in front of my face.

"Sir, we're from the FBI. Have you seen a Japanese man around here, a little taller than you, brown hair, blue eyes?" he asked.

"Those don't sound like Japanese features to me…" I mumble.

"Just answer the question, sir. Have you seen this man?" This time he produces a picture.

I take the picture and pretend to examine the beautiful face printed on it. He's not looking at the camera and the picture is somewhat grainy, looking like it's been zoomed in, so it was probably taken on the streets.

"He's definitely a charming one, isn't he," I joke, trying to think of a way to answer without lying. I hate lying and I suck at it. "He does look a little familiar… Oh wait… he's on our top ten most wanted list isn't he?"

"He is, sir," the man replies.

"And you think he's here?" I raise an eyebrow. "Are we safe? Did he kill people? Is he gonna kill me?"

"No sir, he didn't kill anyone. And yes we do believe he's here."

"Well I'll keep an eye out for you. Do you have a card or something I can call if I see him?"

He produces a card and I pretend to read it before focusing back on the agent.

"Thank you for your cooperation, sir. Sorry to disturb you so early in the morning."

"Yeah, yeah…" I brush him off closing the door.

I heave a deep sigh and lean against the door, listening to the cop walk away. Once he does, I smile and head back to my bedroom. I crawl into bed and close my eyes. And, for once in the past two and a half weeks, I didn't have a nightmare.

…

The next week was a quiet week. I worked on getting myself healthier again and I genuinely felt so much better. I walked around town at least once a day for the fresh air. The police were buzzing though, trying to track down Heero. But if I knew him, he was already long gone. Probably back in Australia.

Heero was still constantly in my mind, but not in the same way as before. Before I was freaking out about him, thinking I'd never see him again. But now, I was just wondering if he was okay, and when I'd see him next. When, not if. I checked my mail everyday, waiting for a letter from him. And exactly a week after he left, I received one.

'Duo,

I hope you are taking better care of yourself. You really have me worried over here. I found a nice, secluded spot here in Australian to spend the next few months in. So far things are going fine here with the government and all. They don't seem to want money from me. Knowing this, I'm working on arranging for you to come stay with me. I still need to keep an eye out though, so it might be a while. But as soon as I feel it's safe for you to be here with me, I'll book you a plane ticket. I can't wait to see you. I miss you so much.

Love you always,

Heero'

I sigh, content with the fact that Heero is okay. I place the letter in my bedside drawer, then go about the rest of my day. I head down to the gym, then to the gun range for some target practice. Even after quitting the Preventers, I found it hard to quit my regular routine, so I still exercised and practiced with a gun. When I got back to the apartment I kicked off my shoes and went to go take a shower to remove the smell of sweat and gunpowder.

The rest of the week drags on. The boredom is starting to get to me, because I'm not used to hanging out at home all day long. I used to have to go to work. I debated getting a new job, but decided against it. What with me traveling to go visit Heero hopefully often, I'd be hard pressed to find anyone to hire me.

Exactly a week from the last letter, I receive another. This envelope seems thicker though. I open it up to see money inside the letter. I read through the letter. It's basically the same as the last letter, Heero just worrying about me and updating me on everything with him. Then I get to the part about him apologizing that I can't get a job because I travel to see him. That was the reason behind the money. I frown and stick the wad back in the envelope. I don't need his money. I'm pretty well off from my job as Preventers and it should last me until Heero and I get things sorted out between us. Hopefully resulting in me staying with him permanently.

Also in the letter, Heero tells me that everything is just about worked out in Australia. He says he booked me a ticket, and to wait five more days before flying out. I smile widely and tuck the letter with the other one, then hurry to go pack up my things.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry it's been taking me so long to post... I just keep forgetting... Sorry :( But here it is... there's one more chapter after this one and then an epilogue. I think... Well enjoy :) And thanks to those of you who reviewed.**

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Chapter 5

Five days later finds me sitting on an airplane on my way to Australia. I stare out the window, and once the ocean gives way to land, I'm practically bouncing in my seat with anticipation. The plane lands in Sydney and I take a cab all the way out to where Heero's rented house is on the beach.

I give the cab driver his money and hurry out of the car, my duffle bag over my shoulder. I knock on the door and wait impatiently for Heero to answer the door. When he does, I drop my bag and jump into his arms. He catches me easily and I kiss his neck.

"Is everything okay?" he asks quickly. "Did something happen?"

"Why does something have to happen? Can't I just be happy to see you?" I ask, sliding back to my feet.

He lets out a relieved sigh and smiles. I roll my eyes at him, but can't keep the smile from my face. He looks around outside warily before closing the door and locking the multiple locks.

"Well someone is a little paranoid," I raise an eyebrow at him.

"And I have every right to be. I have something very, very, very important to me here that I need to protect."

"That is so… sappy," I grimace.

He rolls his eyes at me and opens his arms. "Come here."

I hug him tight, then lift my head to press a firm kiss to his lips. When we pull back, he holds me at arms length from him, looking me up and down.

"You look a lot better," he smiles.

"I'm sorry about that, Heero. I really am. I didn't mean to let myself go like that. I just… I guess I was just a little depressed."

"A little?" he raises an eyebrow at me.

"Okay, a lot," I correct, rubbing the back of my neck.

"And what would've happened if Jason hadn't come to check up on you? What would've happened if he had no way of contacting me?"

"I'm sorry," I apologize again, not really sure what to say.

He sighs and kisses the tip of my nose.

"I'm sure you're hungry after your flight. I'll make you something to eat."

I follow him through the front room and into the kitchen. I sit down in one of the chairs at the kitchen table and Heero heads for the fridge.

"Heero?" I frown, looking outside.

"Yes, love?" he says, his head in the fridge.

"What time is it?"

He checks his watch. "About seven o'clock."

"What? I left California for a fourteen hour flight at like… ten in the morning… Wait… what day is it?"

"Thursday."

"But I left on Tuesday… I'm so confused…" I complain, dropping my head onto the table.

Heero laughs and sets a sandwich down in front of me. "But you had a fourteen hour flight, and it was a nineteen hour time difference. Therefore… you lost thirty three hours," Heero teases, sitting down next to me.

"Holy crap that's confusing. I feel sorry for you, traveling all the time."

"Eh, I'm use to it," he smiles, but then that smile fades and he takes my free hand in both of his. He stares down at them as he speaks. "I don't want to have to be 'used to it' though. I want to settle down somewhere. Settle down with you somewhere."

"We'll figure it out, Heero," I promise him, lifting his chin to look up at me. "We'll figure out a way to beat this guy and give everyone their money back."

He nods, then leans in to press a light kiss to my lips. But then I remember something and pull back from him.

"Oh I almost forgot!" I reach into my shirt and pull off the chain Heero had given me. "Here's your necklace back. I took very good care of it for you."

"Oh, I want you to keep it," he tells me.

"But I thought you said…"

"At first I meant it, but then I realized that you should have it," he smiles.

"Oh. What does it say?" I ask.

He suddenly pulls me into his lap and his chin rests on my shoulder as he picks up the pendant from my chest and turns it over to read it.

"Aishiteru, ore no tenshi," he whispers, kissing my neck. "I love you, my angel."

"Huh… who gave it to you?" I ask.

"My mother. Before she died."

"Oh. You should keep it. It probably means a lot to you," I say, moving to remove the chain.

"No, I want you to have it. When my mother gave this to me, she told me that one day, I'd grow up and find someone very special, someone I'd want to spend the rest of my life with. She said I should give this to that special person so that they know how much I love them. That person is you, Duo. You are my very special someone and I want you to know how special."

I smile, then turn around in his lap and kiss him deeply.

After I finish my dinner, we head out to the front room and curl together on the couch. I lean against Heero and he wraps his arm around my waist, his other hand weaving with mine.

"How long do I get to stay?" I ask him quietly.

"How long do you want to stay?" he returns.

"Forever," I whisper.

He chuckles, then sighs. "Yeah… me too," he murmurs under his breath.

We sit like that for a while, but then I get sleepy. My eyes drift closed and I start to doze off. Heero, as carefully as he can, lifts me into his arms and caries me back into the bedroom. I jolt awake when he picks me up.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," he apologizes.

"S'okay," I mumble, resting my head against his chest.

He puts me in bed and crawls in next to me, his chest up against my back. His arms encircle my waist and he nuzzles my neck.

"Love you," he whispers.

"Love you too, 'Ro."

…

I wake early the next morning and smile, burrowing deeper into the warm body holding me close. Heero chuckles and kisses my forehead.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" he asks me.

"Very," I smile, kissing Heero's collarbone.

"I hope you brought your swim trunks," he suddenly says.

"I didn't…" I frown.

"Well I have an extra pair you can borrow. I want to go down to the beach today, if that's okay."

"Sounds fine with me."

"Good," he smiles, kissing my nose, then standing up.

He rifles through one of the drawers in his dresser, then tosses me a pair of blue and black swim trunks. I pad over to the bathroom and change quickly, then unbraid my hair. It's easier to swim when my hair is in a pony-tail as opposed to a braid. Plus it dries faster.

I leave the bathroom and see that Heero is gone from the bedroom, but his clothes are on top of the dresser. I hurry out to the front room to see Heero waiting for me by the back door, two towels in hand. And I thought seeing Heero in a tux was beautiful. I force myself not to ogle at his bare chest, and try not to feel too self conscious of my own body.

"You ready?" he ask.

I nod and he takes my hand, leading me outside and out to the water. He drops our towels in the sand, then suddenly picks me up and tosses me over his shoulder. I gasp and he laughs as he starts to run to the water. He gets ankle deep and moves to drop me. My feet hit the water and I squeal jumping back into his arms and wrapping my legs around his waist.

"It's cold!" I complain.

Heero laughs then gets a devious look on his face. I return it with a wary look, then suddenly he tickles me. I squeak and let go of around his neck and try to get away from him. I land splat on my butt in the freezing water with a gasp. I jump up and into Heero's arms. He's laughing at me and I frown. Using a move I learned in the Preventers, I kick his legs out from underneath him at the same time I push back on his chest. He loses his balance and lands on his back with a splash. It's my turn to laugh, but it's quickly cut off as his leg comes around, kicking my feet out from under me and sending me onto my back in the inch or two deep water. He pounces on me, pinning down my legs and arm, then kisses me quickly and pulls me up before the wave comes in.

Heero is still laughing and I smile at how relaxed and laid back he is. I didn't notice it before because it was the normal thing, but he had been so tense. Now that he was relaxed did I realize just how tense he had been.

He takes a towel and wraps it around me, drying me off while feathering kisses all over my face, neck and collarbones. Then he lays out the towels and we lay back on them. Heero sighs, resting his head on his hands folded under his head. I curl into his side, resting my head on his arm and tracing patterns on his bare stomach.

We spend the rest of the morning and well into the afternoon out on the beach. Mostly just on the beach, talking. But Heero managed to drag me into the water a few times. We come in late in the evening to have dinner, then Heero pops in a movie and we relax together on the couch. Once the movies over, we each take a shower, then make our way into the bedroom.

I curl up against Heero and it doesn't take long for me to fall asleep. I find myself desperately wishing that our life could just be normal. I wanted to be with Heero. Not coming to visit him in random countries before he had to run from the government and the Yakuza. Heero's words from yesterday come back to me, and I find myself agreeing. I wish that we could settle down somewhere together too.

…

I wake early the next morning and frown. I'm all alone in the bed.

I open my eyes and roll over. The sheets are still warm, so Heero must have just gotten up. A smile comes to my lips when I hear his voice out in the front room. He's talking to someone, probably on the phone. I stretch, then stand up and make my way out of the bedroom. I stop short though when I see Heero pacing in the kitchen. The look on his face is one full of anger and worry.

"Shit!" he suddenly curses, his fist slamming into the counter, making me jump. He takes a deep breath. "How long until they get here? Shit… Okay, listen—no, shut up and listen to me! I have Duo here with me. He can _not_ get involved in this okay? I need you to get him out of here. Why you? Because I can't be seen with him and you're the asshole that let my location slip! If he has even the smallest scratch when you bring him back to me, I swear to god I will destroy you," he growls at the person on the other end of the line. Suddenly, his expression turns to one of shock, then even more anger. "What the hell do you mean you're all the way across the damn country? Don't bother. Duo and I will be long dead before you get here."

He slams the cell phone shut, then leans on the counter, breathing deeply, his eyes pinched closed.

"Heero?" I ask softly, emerging from the hallway where I had been hiding.

"What?" he snaps at me, then cringes. "Sorry," he murmurs.

"Is something wrong?" I ask, walking up next to him.

"Yeah, something's wrong."

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**So? Good? I hope so... This one definitely isn't one of my favorites, but... oh well... it's good enough... I hope O.o Anyway, please review and hopefully it wont be so long until I post again.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Finally... I know I know shame on me :( I kept forgetting... I sorry... But here it is. I'll also post the epilogue here in a sec to make it up to you. Sorry it took me so long. Enjoy.**

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Chapter 6

He straightens up and pressing a quick kiss to my lips before hurrying over to a closet. He pulls out two semi-automatic machine guns and checks the magazines before handing one to me with a handful of extra clips. He shoves another handgun into the back of his pants.

"I take it you know how to fire one of those?" he questions. I nod. "Good. The Yakuza found me. They'll be here in an hour. We need to get out of here as soon as possible. Is your duffle bag still packed?"

I nod again, my voice seeming to have left me. He sees my confused state and sighs. "I'm so sorry, Duo. This was meant to be a nice week away from everything, just you and me… I'm sorry it turned out this way. But I promise you I won't let them hurt you."

"Don't worry about me. It's you I'm worried about."

"They won't kill me until I give up where I put their money, but you… as soon as they realize you don't know anything, they will kill you."

He pulls me in for a deep kiss, then turns me towards another door on the side of the house.

"That's the garage. Get in the jeep and wait for me. I'll grab your stuff and be out in a moment," he tells me.

I nod and open the door. A yellow jeep is sitting there all alone in the garage and I hop in the passengers' side. I check over the machine gun, then wait for Heero to come back. He arrives not a moment later, jumping in the front seat and tossing the duffle into the back. He quickly starts the car, then peels out of the garage. Instead of turning onto the paved road that led out to the main road, Heero cuts onto a dirt road going in the opposite direction.

"Where are we going?" I ask him.

"I don't know," he answers with a frown. "I just need to get you to the airport without anyone seeing us."

We drive for a while in silence. Heero reaches over with his free hand and takes mine.

"Duo…" he swallows and tries again. "Duo… just incase we don't make it, I want you to know that you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. As much as I wish that I had never gotten involved with the Yakuza, I can't say I regret it. Because it brought me to you. The only thing I do regret is getting you mixed up in all of this. I love you, Duo. I fell in love with you the second I met you."

"Don't say that, Heero. Don't say those things as if it's the last time you'll ever be able to say it. Tell me those words when we all get to safety," I tell him, fighting the tears in my eyes.

He nods, although I can tell he doesn't think we'll make it out of this. After about an hour of driving Heero glances at the rearview mirror and curses. He shoots me a worried look, then focuses back on driving. I turn around in my seat to see two black jeeps following us.

"Is that them?" I ask.

He nods. I turn back around in my seat. I look up at Heero and the worried look on his face. That's when I realize the severity of the situation we're in.

Suddenly the rear window explodes following the sound of a gunshot. I instinctively duck, then pick up my semi-auto and fire a round back at them. It hits the middle of the windshield on the front car, then my next shot hits the driver right between the eyes.

"Nice shot," Heero says, glancing back in the rear view mirror.

"Well I wasn't the leader of a special ops team for nothing," I reply, firing another shot at the next car's front window.

Suddenly, two shots fire from them, blowing out our back tires. The car swerves, unseating me and I fall over. Another round fires and whizzes by right where my head had been a moment ago. I whistle, sitting up and firing a few more shots before the car roles to a stop and I jump out of the car, using the door as a shield.

The black jeep slams to a stop right behind us and I lay my finger on the trigger, spraying the jeep with bullets. Heero does the same from the other side of our jeep. Suddenly, a bullet rips through my right shoulder.

"Ouch, shit!" I curse, fumbling with the machine gun.

"Duo! Are you okay?" Heero calls.

"Bullet to the right shoulder. Don't worry about me, focus on them," I call back, grinding my teeth against the pain.

I smash out the window of the jeep's door and rest the machine gun on that, firing one handed with my left hand. A bullet ricochets off the car and lodges in my right thigh and I grunt against the impact and searing pain. I turn around to look for Heero, to see if he's faring any better than I am.

Suddenly something slams into the back of my head and I collapse to the ground. Hands are suddenly on me, picking me up and carrying me off.

"Duo!" I hear Heero cry, followed by more gunshots.

"No! Not him! We need Yuy!" I hear someone call.

"Forget Yuy! We can't get to him right now from where he is. But he'll come to us now that we have his lover," the man holding me replies.

"Fine! Leave Yuy! Let's go. He'll follow," that first man commands.

"DUO!" Heero's pained voice is the last thing I hear before unconsciousness takes me.

…

When I come to, I'm sitting in a chair and everything is quiet… I open my eyes to see that I'm in some sort of warehouse. It all takes me back to the old days of ambushing weapons dealers in warehouses and such missions. I remember about Heero though, and frown. If I was still alive, that meant Heero hadn't gotten here yet. Because if they had Heero, they'd probably have the information they needed, then they wouldn't need me anymore…

I was kind of relieved though that Heero wasn't here. One, I didn't want him in danger, and two, that money is more important than I am.

I look down at my hands to see that they are handcuffed together. I frown and look around. Nobody is in the room with me, so I stand up.

"Sit down, Mr. Maxwell," a deep voice tells me.

I jump, then spin around. A tall, intimidating, Japanese man walks towards me. He's wearing an expensive looking suit, and a cigar is hanging out of his mouth. I frown at him, trying to appear that I wasn't afraid.

"Fine, if you don't want the chair you can just kneel," he shrugs, snapping his fingers.

Someone appears to take the chair away and the intimidating man puts a hand on my shoulder and shoves me down onto my knees.

"Where is Yuy? I thought for sure he'd follow us here to try and get you back."

"He's not going to come," I hiss. "He knows that money is more important than my life."

"I'm not too sure… He seemed pretty distressed when we drove away with you," he shrugs, trying to act nonchalant about it.

I ground my teeth together to keep from saying anything that I'm not supposed to say.

"You wouldn't happen to know where my money is, would you?" he questions.

Another three men then appear in the room. It seems the interrogation has begun…

"No. I don't know where it is. I'm just an acquaintance of Heero's. I've only met him a few times. He's not going to come for me. Keeping the money from you is more important to him than me."

"That is very unfortunate for you," he frowns, pulling a knife. "I believe you're bluffing. I believe you are a lot closer to Yuy than you let on. Why did he try to save you if you are just acquaintances? Why didn't he just leave you behind?"

"Because he has a kind heart and didn't want to see me hurt," I supply.

"I see… well that didn't quite work out, now did it?" He punches me, most likely leaving a bruise. "Where is my money?" His fingers start to dig into the bullet wound on my shoulder and I cry out.

"I don't know," I ground out through the pain.

"You lie! Where is my money?" he yells at me, hitting me with the hilt of the knife, then pressing it to my face. "He obviously trusted you enough. So he had to have told you. Where is it?"

"Well, it's not that he didn't trust me with the location, he just didn't want me to get dragged into it," I retort.

"If you don't tell me in three seconds, I'm going to cut up your pretty little face so bad, not even Yuy will want to look at you anymore."

"You take that knife away from his face this instant or I will put a bullet right between your eyes," a familiar voice calls from the entryway of the warehouse.

I exhale sharply. I was really hoping that Heero had left the country, left me behind, gotten himself out of danger. But of course he didn't. He came to save me, and that brought a smile to my lips, even though neither of us were probably going to make it out of here alive.

Heero is standing there, his hand gun pointed straight at the boss's head, despite the three other weapons trained on him.

"Oh good. You came. I know you know the location, so why don't you tell me."

"I'll make you a deal… You let him go and I'll tell you everything you need to know."

"How bout this deal? You tell me everything I need to know and I won't kill him," he counters, grabbing a fistful of my hair and yanking my head back for easy access to my neck with the knife. "How's that for a deal?"

Heero frowns. "That's not good enough."

"Hmm… that's too bad."

The knife presses to my throat and I cringe as I feel it cutting into my skin, then there is the familiar tickle of blood rolling down my skin.

"No, stop!" Heero cries.

"Don't worry about me, idiot! Don't tell him anything!" I yell at Heero.

The two of them completely ignore me.

"You ready to tell me?" the boss asks, removing the pressure from my neck.

"No, but I am ready to make another offer," Heero states. Heero suddenly raises the hand gun to his own head, making me gasp. "You let him go, or I shoot myself and nobody will ever know where I put that money."

"No! Heero, don't!" I cry, struggling against the boss's grip on me, causing the knife to cut into the skin of my neck further.

"You need to sit still," the boss growls, kicking me in the stomach.

I gasp and double over, clutching at my stomach.

"No counter deal to that?" Heero asks and the pain is evident in his voice.

It's all silent. Then I hear the click of a gun being cocked and look up quickly.

"Alright, then." Heero takes a deep breath. His eyes lock with mine and he mouths, 'I love you' to me.

"No!" I cry at the same time the boss cries, "Wait!"

"Here, take the boy," the boss snarls, pulling me to my feet and shoving me forward.

I stumble a little, but then straighten myself and limp over to Heero. I take his hand in the both of mine and Heero steps in front of me. At first I think he's just trying to shield me, but then I see what he is trying to show me. Another hand gun is taped to his back. I act like it is not there, not wanting to tip any one of the boss's goons off to it being there.

"Now, where is my money?" the boss asks.

"Right here," I cut in, ripping the gun from his back at the same time Heero ducks. I fire of two shots and Heero fires two of his own. My first shot hits the boss right between the eyes and the second takes out one of the body guards. Heero's two shots take out the other two. I stand there for a minute, gun still raised, looking at the body of the boss.

A hand rests on mine, lowering the gun. I look up to see Heero staring at me with concerned eyes. I drop the gun and hug him tight, which is quite a feat considering my hands are still cuffed together.

"Would you really have done it?" I whisper.

He knows what I am referring to. "I don't know. I'm not sure I could've, because he still had you, and if I was dead, I wouldn't be able to stop him killing you too."

I sigh and he releases me. "Now, I have some things to take care of. Hang tight for a moment, okay?"

I nod and he moves towards the boss's body. He fishes around in the pockets for something, then pulls out some sort of device, along with a set of keys. He first uses the keys to unlock my handcuffs, then he searches around on the device for a moment.

"Found it," he smiles.

He fishes around in his pockets for a checkbook, then proceeds to write out a number of checks. I peek over his shoulder to see that they are all going to the countries this man had stole from. On the screen of the device held which countries the money came from and how much.

Once the checks were all laid out, Heero stands and tosses the device back onto the boss's chest.

"Let's go home," he smiles to me, offering his hand.

I take it and follow him out to the waiting jeep. That was it. It was all over now. With the boss dead and the money returned, no one will be after Heero. We can really settle down now.


	7. Epilogue

**So this chapter is very short and yes... it is the last one. Again sorry it took me so long to finish posting this story but it kept slipping my mind :/ Well please enjoy.**

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Epilogue

The Australian Preventers branch were the ones called out to the crime scene. With the forensic boys sweeping the place for prints and other such things, the Captain sauntered over to the body of the Yakuza boss that many countries had been trying to hunt down for many years. He kneels at the foot of the boss and picks up the stack of checks at his feet. A smile pulls at his lips and he shakes his head in amusement.

"Do we know where Yuy is right now?" the Captain calls over his shoulder to one of his tech boys.

"Yes," one of his team members replies. "He boarded a flight to the States a few hours ago with a… Duo Maxwell, sir. Maxwell is an ex-Preventer, sir. Left the job about seven months ago. Most likely because of his ties to Yuy, sir."

"Well then I better call the American Feds and tell them not to take him into custody, now shouldn't I?" the Captain smiles.

"Why not? Isn't he wanted in America? Along with another about fifteen countries?"

"He was wanted because he stole a lot of money from this man here," the Captain says, gesturing towards the gangster. "Most of that money belonged to those countries, which is why they are after him. But it seems… Yuy left a parting gift."

The Captain hands the kid the stack of checks. The kid's eyes widen when he reads through them.

"But, wait… He killed this man and three of his bodyguards, sir. Don't we want to arrest him for that?"

"As far as I see it, and I'm sure most of the other countries see it this way as well, Yuy did us a great favor. He got everyone's money back and he ridded us of one of the most violent leaders of the Yakuza," the Captain shrugs. "And… it seems like it was self defense to me…" he states as he picks up a pair of handcuffs with the back of his pen.

"So… case closed, sir?" the kid asks for clarification.

"Case closed."

…

Once the plane lands in America, Heero tries to keep a low profile, keeping his head down and his hood up. We didn't know when the States would get word of the return of their money, and we weren't sure if we were wanted for the murder of the Yakuza gangster. I'd be able to check on the Preventers database though when I got home, so until then, Heero tried to stay out of sight.

Once we finally get to my apartment, I head straight for my laptop.

"As soon you finish with that, I'm taking your right to the hospital," Heero tells me.

"But you already fixed me up," I reply, bringing up the database.

"All I did was remove the bullets and stitch you up. You need real medical attention, Duo." His voice is full of worry, so I give in.

"Fine," I exhale.

"Good."

I'm surprised to see that my pass code to get into the database still works. I thought for sure they would've removed it after I quit, and that I'd have to be hacking in. But no. Access is granted and I quickly go through the files of the Australian Bureau. The Yuy case is the first case and I quickly open it up and skim through the information. I sigh and read some of it out loud for Heero to hear.

"Heero Yuy; wanted for crimes of fraud and theft in sixteen countries including The United States of America, Italy, France, Germany, blah blah blah… Case closed, charges cleared in all countries. Heero Yuy: wanted for murder of Yakuza crime lord; Case closed, ruled self-defense, charges cleared. Heero Yuy; wanted for evading police in sixteen countries including blah blah blah… Case closed, charges dismissed under circumstances. Heero Yuy; all charges cleared in all countries."

I smile and turn to see Heero slump down in the couch, his head in his hands.

"So it's all over now," he breathes into his hand.

I stand and sit down next to him, resting a hand on his back. "Yes, it's all over now. No more running. We can finally settle down somewhere," I tell him.

He straightens, then turns to pull me into a tight hug. He pulls back just to press his lips firmly to mine.

"Thank you so much, love," he whispers when he finally releases my lips. "I don't think I could've done this without your help."

I shrug. "Told you that you needed my help," I tease.

"Yes, you did. I guess I should listen to you more often." But then his smile fades. "And now you need to listen to me and let me take you to the hospital."

"I hate hospitals though…" I frown. He gives me a look and I stand up quickly. "Okay, okay… Let's go get this over with."

He smiles and takes my hand, leading me out of the apartment.

"So I don't think we want to settle down in my dingy little apartment. Did you have any ideas?" I ask.

"I kind of liked Italy. Beautiful country… What do you say we buy a place in Venice?"

"That would be perfect."

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**So was it good? Was the ending okay? I'm kinda eh about the ending, but it'll just have to do... *I never seem to like my endings don't I? XD* well anyway... please review.**

**I'm working on a few things right now... I don't know how many will end up getting finished and/or posted though... There is one that I'm working on that I really like. It'll be a long one. I'm up to almost 19k words and it's just started it seems XD So hopefully I'll get that finished up and posted... Until then! Byeeeeee  
**


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